April 9 (UPI) -- A 21-year-old Pakistani citizen has pleaded guilty to plotting an Islamic State-inspired mass shooting at a prominent Brooklyn, N.Y., Jewish center on the one-year anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel.
Muhammad Shahzeb Khan pleaded guilty Wednesday before U.S. District Judge Paul Gardephe to one count of attempting to commit acts of terrorism transcending national boundaries, and faces a maximum penalty of life imprisonment when sentenced on Aug. 12.
Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Eisenberg described the explicit goal of Khan's plot as "killing as many Jews as possible."
"Khan declared that New York City was the 'perfect' venue for his attack because of its large Jewish population and boasted that his plot could be the largest attack on U.S. soil since 9/11," Eisenberg said in a statement.
Khan, who was living in Canada, was arrested Sept. 4, 2024, in the southern Quebec town of Ormstown, located about 12 miles north of the U.S. border, by members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Canadian law enforcement agency said in a statement following the operation.
